


Out of Our Hands

by megoettee



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: Altered Reality, Children, Developing Relationship, F/M, Infertility, Marriage, What Did We Do, What Do We Do, What-If
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-01 10:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10919940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megoettee/pseuds/megoettee
Summary: A new take on an old classic. The Time Team returns to the 21st century, vowing to stick together like family. It would only take half an hour to discover just how far that "vow" would take them...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like it's my duty to profess my unending happiness that Timless has been renewed. It was a shaky few days there. 
> 
> If you're reading my other Timeless fic, I regret to inform you that I'm probably not going to be updating anytime soon. I've a) lost my muse for that story and b) found so many problems and loopholes and just cringeworthy errors that I think I've given up on making anything of it. 
> 
> However, never fear! I've come up with a new plan. After reading Timing by OnceUponAWhim and these memories lose their meaning by rachelbee (among many others of the same trope), I've been inspired to write my own and touch on aspects not commonly addressed in these types of stories. 
> 
> I do hope you enjoy the first installment and that you're not too angry with me about calling it quits with the other.

Lucy closed her eyes on a frustrated sigh as the time machine settled back into the 21st century.

"I can't do this again," she said to no one. "I can't...I can't keep this up."

Her teammates were silent. Lucy opened her eyes, the edges of her vision blurring with tears, to find Wyatt pensively watching her from across the cabin.

"I don't even just mean these missions either. My _life_. My life has been... _mutilated_ to the point where I don't recognize anything anymore. And I can't...I can't keep it up."

More silence. Lucy inwardly cursed the two males. The one time she would welcome an uninvited opinion...

"We do our best," Wyatt said with a smirk.

She growled at him and let her head fall back against the seat. Okay. So, she'd said that aloud. It wasn't the first time it had happened. And, most likely, wouldn't be the last.

"Hey," Wyatt said, leaning up to place a hand on her knee.

The soldier glanced at Rufus and nodded.

"We're not a team anymore," he said, grinning as they both bristled at the insinuation. "We're a family. And that means you won't go it alone. You'll always have us."

"Hear, hear," Rufus agreed.  
"Okay?" Wyatt questioned.

Lucy nodded, smiling briefly.

"Okay."

Rufus let the door of the machine slide open and Wyatt stepped down, turning back to help their historian. Lucy took his proffered hand and held her skirts as she made her way down the stairs and onto the platform.

"We had started to wonder if the time machine had come back without you," Agent Christopher said with a smile. "I take it all went well? Did you find Emma?"

Lucy sucked in a deep breath to answer when she felt Wyatt squeeze her hand and respond on his own.

"Emma's still in the wind but negotiations between France and the US remain...more or less the same," he explained.

"More or less?"

It was Rufus' turn to look sheepish. Rubbing the back of his head, he gave a half-hearted chuckle before explaining.

"Well, the final price point of the Purchase may be a little bit different than in the original timeline but...it's like Wyatt said," Rufus shrugged. "More or less the same. The US still basically doubled in size."

Agent Christopher eyed the trio before settling her gaze on Lucy.

"You're infinitely quieter than usual, Ms. Preston," she commented.  
"She's tired. It's been a rough couple of days as I'm sure you can understand," Wyatt pointedly reminded the agent.  
"Yes. Well, we can debrief in the morning then, if it doesn't suit now," Christopher said. "Take her home. Make sure she gets some rest. I'll have an agent bring you your things. I believe Jiya has Jessica with her in the front conference room."

All sound vanished. Wyatt's entire body stiffened, his grip on her hand had tightened to the point where she had to remind him he still held it.

"Jess...Jessica's _here_? At Mason? In this building?"

Lucy immediately felt the loss as he dropped her hand and sprinted for the exit.

The last thing she had going for her. The last thing that _could_ be ripped away. They had done it.

She now had nothing.

Agent Christopher's face showed her clear confusion as she watched the soldier dash frantically for the door. She looked back at the two remaining before zeroing in on Lucy and asking, "Did I say something wrong?"

Lucy shook her head, tears threatening to pour out as she pushed past the agent and made her way to the costuming department to get out of this ridiculous dress and back home as soon as possible.

She had just finished buttoning her blouse when Wyatt appeared: pale and visibly shaken, his eyes red as if he'd been crying.

"Wyatt, I..."

"It's not _**my**_ Jessica. Well, not..." he sucked in his lips and ran a hand down his face while the other rested at his hip, pacing away from Lucy for a moment. "My _wife_ is not in that room with Jiya."

He turned back to face her, tears gathering in his eyes as he told her. A sliver of relief had snaked its way into her heart but Lucy couldn't bare to see him this distressed. She took a tentative step towards him but he matched her with one backwards. 

"Lucy," he said with a pained expression. "Jessica is our _baby_."

Lucy felt the blood drain from her face.

"Lucy, we're married."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got so excited/involved in my ideas for this story that I decided to post two chapters in one day. 
> 
> Wyatt & Lucy are endgame for me. I feel like they'll drag it out FOREVER in the show but...hey. We still have a show to drag it out in. I'm okay with that.

"Is everything okay?"

Lucy was snapped out of her stupor at Agent Christopher's question. Her stunned gaze never leaving Wyatt's face, she frowned, not entirely sure how to process the news.

"We're... _married_?" she asked, finally looking to the agent for clarification.

Christopher's expression remained unreadable while she looked between the soldier and historian.

"I'm guessing you weren't in your previous timeline," she surmised.

Wyatt scoffed lowly and Lucy's frown deepened as she felt an almost vise-like grip form around her lungs. She couldn't understand the violence of his reaction. Sure, she understood he'd rather be married to his previous wife, that she was alive and he hadn't been the reason she had been murdered but...was she really such a horrible alternative?

She frowned, replaying the past 48 hours in her head.

"But you called me Ms. Preston when we got back," her question buried in the statement.

"You're published. You kept your name so that you wouldn't have to go back and reissue everything."

Lucy nodded, understanding the thought process. Wondering if Wyatt had been okay with it.

"The baby...?" she managed to rasp in question.

Agent Christopher nodded, her gaze slipping to a pacing Wyatt, prompted by Lucy's own watchful stare.

"Jessica Elaine Logan," she responded, eyeing the soldier at his groan. "I'm sorry. I suppose we never...there's no real contingency plan in this situation. It never seemed possible."

Lucy nodded almost imperceptibly, the vise on her lungs tightening.

"Can I meet her?"  
"Absolutely," the agent answered, motioning towards the exit. "She's yours after all."

Lucy took a step forward before turning her gaze to Wyatt, his arms braced against the costume rack. She bit her lip in worry, startled when he gruffly told her he would join her soon.

She remained where she was for a moment more before gliding past him to the stairwell that would eventually take her to her baby.

\-----

Wyatt later found her curled around the small crying infant in the corner of the conference room.

Rufus had joined him a few moments after Lucy left to see Jessica.

_Jessica_. Why in all of creation had they named her that? Every time he thought about it, pain blossomed in his chest again. Pain laced with sorrow and guilt.

"I'm sorry, man," Rufus had said. "Jiya just told me."

Wyatt didn't say anything. What could he say?

Silence prevailed a few more moments as he attempted to wrestle with his emotions.

"Hey. It's just like you told Lucy in the time machine," the pilot said. "We're in this together. We're family now."

He paused, watching his friend.

"Some of us just slightly more so than we were prepared for."

Wyatt let out a derisive chuckle, nodding as he walked down the aisle of costumes, suddenly punching the endcap as he approached it.

"Feel better?"

Wyatt could hear the eye roll in his friend's question. Rufus sighed.

"Go get that wrapped at the infirmary and then _be with Lucy_. You're gonna need each other."

Wyatt whirled around to shout that he _needed_ this like he needed an extra hole in the head but Rufus was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.

So, here he was, standing in the doorway to the conference room, hiding his hands in his jacket pockets.

Wyatt  sighed to himself and took a step in, opening his mouth to tell her he was sorry, when he watched her small frame convulse with sobs as she curled tighter around the crying baby.

A lead weight dropped in his stomach. His image of Lucy's constant strength and courage shattered upon the realization that she was still just a woman, forced into a life not her own.

"Shhh," she whispered through tears. "It'll be alright. Everything will be okay. I promise. Oh, I promise, sweetheart. I'm here. I'm _here_."

Wyatt swallowed at the lump that formed in his throat. Her consolations almost reverent in nature.

"Lucy," he called quietly.

Her head shot up, tracks of tears streaming down her cheeks. A pain he'd never seen before glittering in her eyes.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..."  
"Wyatt, this shouldn't have happened," she said.

He nodded and crossed the rest of the room to squat in front of her.

"I know. I know and we're going to figure out how it did and we're going to fix..." he said before she cut him off.  
"No!" She closed her eyes, that unfamiliar pain wreathing her features.

Wyatt frowned.

"No," she said more calmly. "I mean, in our timeline, this could never have happened."

His displeasure must have shown because she quickly shook her head, cradling the quieting baby to her chest. Fresh tears dripped down her cheeks as she sought to explain.

"Not because of _**us**_ , Wyatt," she said. "Wyatt, I....I'm infertile.

Silence.

"I can't have children. It was never going to be an option for me. For us."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your encouragements are my motivation! Thank you to all who read, commented and/or left kudos on the last two chapters. I promise there is a list of "need to be addressed" points waiting to be written. So, no shortage of material yet! (Though I may have to slow down on the updates soon. ;))

_Infertile_. She was infertile.

They had only ever spoken of children once before. In 1754. When the team had been tied up, awaiting their sentencing by the tribe chief, not entirely sure they would make it either way after being stranded mid-century.

From the day he had met Lucy, she'd been a headstrong, curious and independent woman. One who met every obstacle without hesitation. Who had an answer for every problem. Who never folded.

A woman born of strength and fidelity.

So, it was difficult for Wyatt to reconcile the woman sitting in the back seat of their car with the Lucy he knew.

_Nothing ever haunts us like those things we don't say, Wyatt._

Wyatt could hear his Grandpa Sherwin now. Knew the advice he would give if he'd been here to ask.

Wyatt lifted his gaze to the rearview mirror, quietly watching her as she stared at the small infant sleeping in the carseat. Her gaze met his momentarily before Wyatt was forced to refocus on the road ahead.

The soldier had never been good with emotion. He had learned at an early age to detach himself from such things and, as a result, didn't know how to properly handle them in anyone else. Jessica--his _wife_ , Jessica--had helped but he still froze like a deer in headlights when anything happened.

_Lucy_ happened tonight.

And Wyatt's response had been doubly horrifying because he had never expected it.

Eventually, Jiya rescued him from further disaster and calmed Lucy down enough for them to be able to gather their things (baby included) and make their way to their shared dwelling.

Because they were married. And they shared things now. Things like a car. And a house. And a _baby_.

They probably also shared things like insurance and a bank account and debt and a bathroom and...good lord, _a_ _bed_.

Wyatt pulled into the driveway of the address Jiya had given him and turned off the car. The three sat in silence for a full two minutes, Wyatt examining the exterior of the house they'd chosen to occupy.

It was large enough to comfortably fit a family of three with room enough to entertain without being excessive. He didn't particularly care for the color of the wood paneling but he figured _that_ problem was somewhat lower on his list of priorities.

"We're home, m'am," he jones with a tight smile, meeting her gaze in the mirror once more.

He watched Lucy nod, bite her lip and glance back down at the baby in the car seat beside her.

_Jesus_. What did you say to a woman who's entire life had literally just been turned on its head?

" _We'll get 'em next time_ " seemed inappropriate. As did " _At least you know who **I** am?_ "

"We need to get some rest" was what he ended up settling on. Not the most comforting but nothing guaranteed to send her into a tailspin either.

Transporting the baby carrier to the front door felt...alarmingly natural for Wyatt. He waited on the porch steps as Lucy unlocked the door and disabled the alarm system before carefully delivering his load inside.

He placed the carrier on the floor and looked around. Their house truly integrated his and Lucy's tastes. The foundation itself had a more rustic feel to it: high ceilings with thick wooden crossbeams complimented walls of exposed brick and dark hardwood floors. The furniture and decor seemed more to Lucy's tastes: modern comfort melding with storied antiques, pops of color strategically placed throughout the open space.

"I'll go find the nursery so we can put her down before her next feeding," Lucy said quietly.

Wyatt glanced at his watch.

"It's at 10:30, right? That's just 20 minutes. Would it be so bad to leave her in the seat?"

He knew he said the wrong thing when he saw her back stiffen.

"Lucy, I only meant..."  
"It's fine. I still need to find the nursery though."

And, like that, she was gone.

Wyatt blinked and sighed, looking back down to the carrier. Only to find a pair of bright blue eyes staring up at him.

"Well, hello," he said softly, kneeling in front of the carrier.

He smiled and held out his finger, lightly touching it to the tip of the child's nose. She blinked owlishly and moved a hand to wrap around the single digit, robbing Wyatt of breath in mere seconds.

Moments passed before the soldier could function again, deftly unbuckling his daughter and lifting her from the seat. He sighed, smiling sadly at the tiny baby in his arms. Wondering how long he'd have this.

"Why don't we go see where your mommy has disappeared to, huh?"

The word was foreign on his tongue. Even more so when he considered just who the title referred to.

They found her on, what could only be, the nursery floor. Pouring over photo albums, receiving blankets and trinkets with statistics engraved into them.

"Lucy?" he said warily from the doorway.

She looked up with the same pained expression she wore before.

"I _missed_ it. I missed getting proposed to, being engaged, planning and having a wedding. I missed finding out I'm pregnant, cowing up with a cute way to tell my husband, actually _being_ pregnant...I didn't get to experience it. I don't have those memories. But _this_ Lucy does," she said, pointing to herself in the album. " _This_ Lucy got to experience it all. A husband. A baby. A family. She got to know _how_ she got there."

Wyatt didn't know what force dropped him down to her level or had him pulling her into his free arm. He didn't know what had him pressing a kiss to her hair or squeezing her closer to his side.

He didn't know what had him whispering her name, over and over. Or the reverence with which he said it but...Wyatt knew they'd get this right. Wyatt knew their dynamic had changed. Knew _he_ had changed.

Jessica cooed in his arm, her chubby hands reaching out for Lucy's hair and grabbing a handful.

"Ow!" Lucy cried.  
"Oh! No, no, no, no, no!" Wyatt winced, quickly trying to loosen the tiny girl's grasp on the strands.

Lucy was eventually able to pull away, holding a hand to newly tender spot.

Seconds passed before little Jessica was grabbing again, her hand opening and closing like a claw at the arcade. A laugh escaped the historian and her gaze immediately lifted to meet Wyatt's, a small smile still lifting the corners of her lips.

_Yeah_ , Wyatt thought. _They could do this_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I realized as I reread the previous chapters, that there's a heck of a lot of angst. And while, yes, it makes for a good story (and I can promise you there will be more) that Wyatt and Lucy haven't had much "together time" and/or "let's-build-this-ship time". So, my attempt at getting that in. A lot more to come. Hope you enjoy!

"So," Rufus remarked casually as he sidled up next to Lucy. "How're you holding up?"

She glanced sideways at him from her post looking down on the time machine in the conference room. A small smile graced her lips but she remained silent for a long time.

It had been a week and there hadn't been any hint of motion from Rittenhouse or even Emma.

"Truthfully?" she asked, looking back at the chaos of the morning.

Rufus nodded.

"I'm confused, Rufus," she whispered. "I'm _so_ confused. And scared. Terrified really. I've had a week to process what's happened and my mind has come up with every scenario of how and when it all ends."

She turned away from the wall of windows and moved to sit at the large table.

"Six months ago...? This was a life I could never have. That I could never even dream of having. I had finally resigned myself to never being a mother. I could never---"

"Lucy. There are always other opti---"

"No, Rufus. There's a _difference_ ," she looked at him sadly. Not quite sure how to make him understand. "Yes. I could adopt. Yes. I could foster. Yes. I could have a surrogate.

Well, I don't actually know if that one's possible but the _point_ is..." she said shakily. "...that while, yes, I would love that child just as much as any other, possibly even more...? They could never truly be mine. I could never have that bond with them. Any mother will tell you. It's different when you carry your own child. It's different from only being able to hold them."

She sucked in a breath and let her gaze fall on the diaper bag and stroller sitting in the corner of the room.

"I _want_ this. It's all I've ever wanted, Rufus. And while Wyatt might not _love_ me, per se, we're on that path. Or at least we were before this all happened."

She knew the pilot was watching her closely from his seat, knew he wanted to say something but Lucy wasn't sure she wanted to hear it. Not yet. So, she cut him off before he could make the decision himself.

"He cares for me. I care for him. We have a baby. A baby who recognizes our faces and smiles when I sing and laughs when he plays. And...and it's just so perfect."

Silence.

"And you're waiting for the other shoe to drop."

He didn't phrase it as a question.

"These things don't last. _Can't_ last. Especially not with what we do. Who we are."

She turned and gave him a sad smile.

"So, I'm savoring it. To paraphrase a few lyrics, I'm going to love them like I'm going to lose them."

"You won't lose them."

"Rufus. Let's be realistic for a moment. Because we both know it's inevitable. Nothing we do is carved in stone anymore. _Nothing_ can be guaranteed to remain unchanged. But I've learned that I can't let that hinder me."

"Lucy, that's no way to live though. Constantly worried you..."

"It is, Rufus. It has to be. Because this is all I've got. My sister is nonexistent, my father is locked up and my mother is still in the wind. Wyatt and Jessica are all I have. They are all I'll _ever_ have."

"You're wrong."

Lucy looked up to find Wyatt filling the doorway, trying his best to look serious while keeping the small child (all arms and legs) from going everywhere at once. She smiled and moved to stand from the table.

"Lucy, I promise we'll get your sister back," he told her as she walked towards him, holding her arms out for Jessica as the baby squirmed in his arms.

"I know," she said, watching him struggle.

As soon as the girl set eyes on her mother, she cooed and all but threw herself out of Wyatt's grasp. Lucy laughed, lifting her high in the air before pressing kisses all over her baby's face, preening at the laughter it elicited.

The fun was quickly over as they all heard the tell-tale sound of a newly soiled diaper. Lucy turned to frown at Wyatt who threw his hands up in mock surrender.

"Nope. I got the last one," he said.

Lucy pursed her lips and slowly, innocently moved her gaze to where Rufus sat.

"Not a chance in hell," he said.

Lucy gave a resigned sigh but smiled as she motioned to the diaper bag.

"Fine. Could one of you at least hand me the bag? I'll go change her in the infirmary."

Wyatt slipped past her as Rufus chuckled.

"Good thinking," he said. "Though, I'll admit to really wanting to see the look on Mason's face when he walks into a conference room that smells like baby shit."

"Rufus!" Wyatt scolded.  
"She's a **_baby_**!"  
"Research shows that babies can understand words as early as six months!"  
"So, now I'm supposed to start censoring myself because your baby MIGHT understand me?" Rufus asked incredulously. "And since when did you start _reading_?"

Lucy rolled her eyes on a laugh and exited the conference room.

"Your daddy and Uncle Rufus act like babies more than you do," she told her daughter. "Maybe I ought to offer _them_ a clean diaper."

\--

"Wyatt?"

Lucy emerged from the bathroom, massaging the excess lotion into her hands, only to watch him remove his shirt on the other side of the bed.

"Yes?" he responded, turning to look at her.

Her breath caught at the sight of him and Lucy smiled softly. She didn't think she had ever smiled so much in any of the previous timelines.

"Lucy?" he said, raising one of those all-knowing brows.

She watched him empty his pockets onto his bedside table before unbuckling his watch and laying it neatly against the chaos of everything else.

When he began pulling at his belt, her gaze slid downward, ignoring the soldier's chuckle.

Their relationship had progressed enough to be comfortable with a shared bedtime routine. Though, it certainly didn't mean she was never affected by it.

Lucy eyed the great expanse of bed between them. The largest she'd ever seen.

"Jessica," she said. "Not _our_ Jessica. But yours."

She watched him fumble with the button of his jeans as his shoulders stiffened but, otherwise, he didn't show much reaction. He did, however, move much more quickly to pull on the pair of sleep pants they'd found in his drawers the first night.

He looked pensive as he threw back the covers and tossed the pillow shams to the floor. He easily slid between the sheets, resting his back against the headboard and turned to look at her.

Lucy hadn't moved. Her whole body had frozen in place as soon as the words came out of her mouth. She should never have brought it up. Never had ruined what they had going. But she knew she also couldn't keep going without knowing. Not after today.

"Okay. Am I...? Well. I'm not..." she sighed, frustrated with herself. "You see. It occurred to me that..."

Wyatt's smile caught her attention as he patted the bed beside him.

"Whatever it is, Luce, you can ask me. We _are_ married after all," he joked, wiggling his ring finger playfully at her.

But that was just it.

"Luce?" he asked, more concern in his voice. "Hey. Come on. It's okay."

Lucy shook her head.

"You wanted this life with _her_. Not me."

Silence. Confirmation.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said, immediately shoving his way across the bed.

He leapt down from the edge and took her in his arms. They stood like that for what felt to Lucy like hours.

"Yes. Okay. I wanted this life with Jessica. Wait," he said, gripping her when she tried to pull back. "I wanted this life with Jessica but...that was before you. That was before Mason. Before Rittenhouse. Before all of this."

He let her pull away this time, meeting her gaze as she looked up at him.

"Yes. I miss her. A lot. But...and it's crazy, Lucy, but when we're apart between missions, I miss _you_ more than I've ever missed her."

Lucy frowned at the revelation, replaying his words over in her head. Sure that she had heard wrong or misinterpreted.

"And no. I don't really know what it means or how to handle it but I do know that you mean more to me than you clearly think you do. And I can only hope that--"

He was cut off by the crash of her mouth against his. Her small hands locking behind his neck to pull him closer as she stood on her tip toes to maximize...whatever it was that her brain felt like maximizing.

She pulled back and closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against his.

"Well," he said, running his tongue along his lips. "I think that answers that then."

"Wyatt," she breathed, opening her eyes to meet his.

He smiled and kissed her again.

And, all at once, cries were heard over the baby monitor as both of their cellphones began to ring.


	5. Chapter 5

"Okay. Hear me out," Rufus said, holding up his hands.

He stood next to Wyatt (who stood next to Lucy) in the brush of a German 1940s forest, staring at the large hunk of time machine so absurdly out of place.

"If we get back on that machine and return to 2017, the probability that Jessica--your _baby_ Jessica--will still be there is..."

"Rufus," Wyatt warned.

The pilot turned to glare at his friend before looking across him to Lucy.

"...is actually fairly _high_."

He gave Wyatt another pointed stare before returning his attention to the machine.

"By pure accident, we managed to maintain the original timeline. No one else died. No one else got injured or sick or discovered something before they should have or made revelations too late. It all managed to stay put like a good little historical event," he explained. "So, nothing that would have, even the remotest link to your child, changed."

Despite this knowledge, neither of his comrades made any move.

"On the other hand, if we don't get in the machine, we can just live out the rest of our days in denial as heathens, sticking out like a sore thumb as we possibly contract malaria and/or smallpox. That'll be fun. Oh. And we'll be foregoing AC or indoor plumbing or any real intelligence..."

"We get it, Rufus," the solider snapped.

"It wasn't even considered malaria until the 1820s," Lucy added quietly. "Before that, it was just called _ague_ or _marsh fever_ because of its association with swamps and marshland."

"Oh," Rufus said. "Well. Of course. Knowing _that_ definitely makes it much less concerning. I feel better about everything already."

When neither bit back at him, Rufus side-eyed his companions.

"Guys? Seriously now. I love you. And I'd do most anything for you. But I draw the line at living in a totally different century."

He could physically see Lucy's inner war with herself. Had honestly expected it. What he didn't expect was to see that struggle mirrored on Wyatt.

"Hey," he said, a little softer this time. "It's gonna be okay. You'll see."

Wyatt glanced at the pilot and gave him a wry smile, motioning for him to boot up the machine while he talked to Lucy.

Rufus hesitated, only for a moment, but proceeded towards his post, leaving the couple behind.

They stood there in silence for a few more moments before Wyatt pivoted in the tall grass to face her.

"Luce? He's right, you know. We can't stay here," he told her.

Her response was meek as she dipped her gaze to the ground beneath them.

"I know."

Wyatt sucked in a breath and looked back at the time machine waiting.

"It's stupid. It's _so_ stupid," she said, immediately grabbing his attention again. "I've spent a week with her. A _week_ , Wyatt. I have no more claim to her than..."

He shook his head, moving to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"You are her _mother_. She is your _daughter_. That's all that will ever matter," he told her.

She lifted her gaze to meet his and smiled through the tears.

" _Our_ ," she corrected.  
"Uhh...what?" he asked, not understanding.  
"She's our daughter. She's every bit you as she is me."

Wyatt smiled back.

"She certainly didn't get her wailing from me," Lucy continued, walking towards the machine.

Dumbfounded, Wyatt stared after her.

"Excuse me?" he asked incredulously, sprinting to catch up. "You know. I'm pretty sure that's your lung capacity. And, even if it wasn't, she gets her naive bravery from you. Grabbing for things without knowing what..."

Lucy paused on the fallen tree they had hauled over to help boost them into the machine. She then turned around and faced him.

" _Just couldn't keep your mouth shut,_ " Rufus' voice grumbled from inside.

"You think I'm _naive_?"

Wyatt sucked in his lips in thought before addressing her statement.

"Okay. Wait. I think..." he started, ignoring Rufus' _oh god_ from the machine. "...I think we're focusing on the wrong part of that statement, here."

" _We were so close, Rufus. So close_..." came the pilot's voice, followed by the thunk of his head against what Wyatt could only assume was the head rest. "Hey, guys? Can you maybe..."

"Not...now, Rufus," she warned.

"Okay. I'll just..." he responded. "I'll just wait then. Seems to be something I'm good at."

Wyatt resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the pilot and, instead, reached for Lucy's hand but she jerked it back, glaring at the soldier.

"Answer the question, Wyatt," she demanded. "Do you think I'm naive?"

Wyatt swallowed at the lump forming in his throat. It had always amazed him how he, a decorated, active duty, military man, could be reduced to ashes by someone as small as Lucy was. Jess had been able to do it too. He could face air strikes, machine guns and torture but one glare from a woman he lov... _no_. He wasn't going there in the middle of 1940s Germany.

"I never used it as an _adjective_ , Lucy," he said.

She scoffed and turned around to hoist herself up into the machine.

"And now he's trying to lecture me on grammar," she mumbled.

Watching her struggle, Wyatt moved to give her a boost until she snapped at him that she didn't need his help.

"Lucy, you're being ridiculous. Let me help you," he said, placing a hand under her foot to give her something to push off of.

She huffed as she got herself into a sitting position on the edge of the opening and glared at him.

"Oh. So, now I'm naive, stupid _**and**_ ridiculous."

Rufus audibly groaned from inside the vessel. Lucy whirled her legs around, moving towards her seat as Wyatt stood staring in disbelief.

" _What?_ "

He then grumbled a few choice words to himself and followed her, moving to his own seat.

Reaching for his own buckles, he glimpsed Lucy struggling with hers. Her hands were shaking and, the more frustrated she became, the further she got from accomplishing anything.

He glanced to Rufus who met his look with an ominous one of his own before Wyatt reached across and held her hands in his own, preparing to guide them in hooking up her harness.

" _No!_ " she shouted, less Lucy than she'd been thirty seconds ago. "No, damnit! I can do it. I can do it. I don't need..."

Wyatt immediately got to his knees, forgetting the harness as as pulled her close to him.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said as she gulped for air against him. "It's okay to be scared, Lucy. I'm scared too."

Her cries almost immediately quieted before she pulled back to stare up at him, teary eyed and confused.

"You are? But..."

"You're not the only one who fell in love with that life," he told her, his hand smoothing back the hair from her face. "Facing the possibility that it could be gone when we get back...? It's terrifying."

"Wyatt, I..." she started, searching his face for something. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even..."

"It's okay. It's o-kay," he said, smiling. "I promise. But you know what we'll still have even if it isn't there...?"

"I swear to god if you say _each other_ , I'm pressing the ignition whether you're buckled in or not," Rufus mumbled, turning back around in his seat. Though, not before Wyatt caught a smile.

Lucy turned her attention from their pilot back to the man before her. He didn't say a word, just grinned, and moved to help her buckle before returning to his own seat and securing his own.

"Ready?" Rufus asked.

Wyatt reached across the cabin of the machine and grasped Lucy's hand. Looking her in the eye, he responded, "Ready."

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

"Wyatt?"

They stood shoulder to shoulder staring at the front of their house, much as they had stared at the time machine in Germany.

Lucy physically felt the redirect of his attention as he laced his fingers with hers.

"Yes?"

Her eyes drifted to the white handprints, wreathing the terracotta pots that lined their front porch. There were four pots altogether. The inner two were smaller than the others, each set of prints a different size.

"Can you do me a favor?" she asked.   
"Anything," he responded, no hesitations.

She paused, still staring at the seasonal flowers.

"Punch me."

She turned to face him after a moment of silence, looking up at him in complete sincerity.

"I feel like a gut punch would do the trick," she said, looking back at the house. "Though, if you put enough power behind it, shoulder would probably suffice."

Wyatt just continued to stare at her, only once glancing past her to the car.

"Why don't we make a quick trip back to Mason to just...double check that head injury," he said carefully.

She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I didn't injure my head, Wyatt," she said.  
"Well, you did _something_ ," he responded.

Lucy sighed and curled her arms around her stomach.

"It's just...overwhelming. I was terrified I would come back and not have a child anymore."

She felt his nod more than saw it.

"We're still married. And have TWO children now, Wyatt. And I have a _sister_ again."

She drew in a breath and felt the gentle squeeze of his hand. Reminded that she wasn't the only one affected.

"I'm scared I'm dreaming. I don't want to walk in there to have it all ripped away."

"Lucy..."  
"So, I need you punch me. Give it all you've got. Don't hold anything back."  
"Lucy, be serious. I'm not going to---"  
" _Mommmmyyyyy_!"

The couple was suddenly interrupted by a squeal as a small body darted towards them. The forward momentum of said body was too much for Lucy as the girl slammed into her, sending the historian backwards and onto the ground.

"Jessie! I'm so so so so sorry, guys!"

Lucy barely registered her sister's voice as the weight of her daughter was lifted from her and she felt herself being helped back into a standing position.

"She saw you drive up and I told her to wait while I finished changing Henry's diaper and, the next thing I know, she's out the door screaming..."

Lucy gripped Wyatt's arm tightly as Amy flew through her explanation, bouncing a baby boy on her hip as she attempted to reach for Jessica who quickly circled her arms around Wyatt's legs.

"Luce...? Oh god. Did you get hurt? Are you okay?"

Lucy gave a watery smile and laughed warmly, moving to pull her sister into a long overdue embrace.

"Oh, Amy, I've missed you," she said.

"Luce, really. Maybe you should sit down for a while," Amy said, glancing at Wyatt as she pulled out of the hug. "I'll stay to help get them in bed."

"Thank you, Amy," he said, simultaneously attempting to pry his daughter's arms off of him so he could walk.

"Come on, Jess," Amy said, holding her hand out for the girl to take. "Why don't we go show mommy and daddy what we made while they were gone?"

Jessica squealed again and, racing before her aunt, led them all back into the house.

A moment passed after Amy disappeared through the front door before Lucy found her voice.

"I love them," she said quietly. "I love _this_."

_I love you_ , she kept to herself.

Wyatt smiled with her and guided her up the steps and into the house. Their gazes followed the playful banter as it poured down from the upstairs hallway.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look!"

Jessica hurriedly made her way down the carpeted stairwell (had it been carpeted before?) to show them her fusion bead designs that they'd apparently put together during one of Henry's naps.

"Auntie Amy brought the melty beads again!"

"Jessie! These are amazing!" Lucy exclaimed, squatting down to her daughters level. "Do you think we can hang these up tomorrow?"

" _Noooo_ , mommy," the little girl corrected her, handing a green and brown one to Wyatt and a blue and yellow one to Lucy. "These are for you to take with you on your next mission."

Lucy blinked.

"What?"

She glanced up at Wyatt in question but, obviously, he was wearing the same confused expression.

"Auntie Amy says it's a way we can go with you," she said, looking up at Wyatt. "She said it's just like how you left Maser Sergeant with me for when _you_ go away."

Lucy plopped backwards as she lost her balance at her daughters explanation.

"That is exactly right, sweetie. This is perfect!" Wyatt said, dipping down to her level as well. "I'm going to take this with me _everywhere_."

Jessica giggled and danced in place before looking at Lucy.

"Mommy, why are you crying? Is it not pretty enough?"

"Oh. No, no, no, sweetheart. It's absolutely beautiful. Mommy just had a really hard day and you've made me so happy that..."

Jessica frowned skeptically, side-eyeing her father.

"...that you had to cry?"

Lucy laughed and held out her arms for a hug.

"Daddy was right. Sometimes you _are_ crazy."

Lucy playfully scoffed and glared at him before smiling and pressing a kiss to Jessica's cheek.

"Can I have a big goodnight hug too?" Wyatt asked.

"Only if you promise to make mommy stop crazy crying," she told him, very matter-of-factly.

Wyatt laughed and nodded his head in agreement.

"I will do my best," he told her, receiving a hug and a kiss on the cheek before ushering the little girl upstairs. "Tell Auntie Amy we'll be up in a minute, okay?"

She nodded and climbed the stairs, shouting down the hallway for "Auntie Amy, Auntie Amy".

They sat on the floor in silence for a full minute before Lucy turned to face him and whispered, "We have a family, Wyatt. A _family_."


End file.
